After the Fall
The once grand halls of the Quantum Order now lie in ruins, the marble floors cracked and littered with debris. Pillars that once supported the weight of the temple now lay scattered like broken bones, their intricate carvings of celestial beings marred by the violence that had taken place. The air is thick with the scent of smoldering ashes and the faint metallic tang of blood. A ghostly silence hangs over the sanctuary, the echoes of what once was still whispering through the devastated space.
Eddie, known within the Order as Ryoshi, stands amidst the wreckage, his robes tattered and stained with the soot of destruction. His eyes, once bright with the purpose of his sacred duty, are now shadowed with the weight of loss. His hand, trembling slightly, hovers over a fallen emblem of the Order—a golden symbol of the Quantum Source that had once been the heart of everything he believed in.
"I should have seen it coming," he mutters to himself, his voice hoarse from the smoke and from screaming his brother's name in desperation. "I should have stopped him."
He kneels down, picking up the shattered emblem, and clutches it tightly. His knuckles whiten as he fights back tears of guilt and anger. Memories flood his mind—of the Order, of the teachings that had shaped him, and of Ankin, the man who had once been his brother in all but blood.
The sound of crumbling stone draws his attention. Eddie snaps out of his reverie, his senses heightened by the ever-present danger. His hand instinctively moves to the hilt of the quantum blade at his side. He turns to see a figure struggling to rise from the debris—an older priest, his robes as torn and blackened as Eddie's.
"Master Kalos," Eddie breathes, rushing to the elder's side. The man who had taught him, who had guided him through his early years within the Order, now looks frail, barely hanging on to life.
"Ryoshi," the old man whispers, his voice barely audible. "You survived..."
"Don't speak, Master," Eddie says urgently, trying to assess the extent of Kalos's injuries. "Save your strength."
But Kalos weakly shakes his head, his hand clutching Eddie's arm. "No... you must listen. The darkness... it's stronger than we imagined. Ankin... he has become... something else. Something we could never have foreseen."
"I know, Master," Eddie replies, his voice thick with emotion. "He's become the Dark Matteris. He... he's taken everything from us."
"Not... everything," Kalos gasps. "As long as you live... the light of the Quantum Source... will endure."
Eddie swallows hard, the weight of responsibility pressing down on him. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to stop him. I tried, Master. I really did."
"You are stronger than you think," Kalos whispers, his grip tightening for a brief moment before weakening again. "The Source... chose you, Ryoshi. You must... protect it. Protect... the universe."
Tears sting Eddie's eyes as he watches the life fade from his mentor's gaze. "Master... please, don't leave me. I can't do this alone."
But Kalos's eyes close, his last breath escaping in a soft sigh. Eddie bows his head, a single tear slipping down his cheek as he silently mourns the man who had been like a father to him.
"I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'm so sorry."
The days after the fall of the Quantum Order are a blur to Eddie. He wanders the ruins, searching for any sign of survivors, but finding none. The once vibrant temple, filled with the hum of life and the energy of the Quantum Source, is now a graveyard, and Eddie feels like the last living soul in the universe.
He finally makes his way to what remains of the inner sanctum, the heart of the Order where the Quantum Source had been most powerful. Now, it is a hollow shell, its energy diminished, barely a flicker of what it once was. Eddie stands before it, feeling the weight of his failure pressing down on him.
"This is all my fault," he says aloud, his voice echoing in the emptiness. "If I hadn't told the High Priest about Ankin and Sera... if I had just kept my mouth shut..."
His words trail off into the silence, but he feels a faint warmth emanate from the Source. It's a weak, almost imperceptible presence, but it's there—a reminder that, despite everything, it hasn't abandoned him.
Eddie drops to his knees, his hands pressing against the cold, smooth surface of the Source's chamber. "What do I do now? How do I fix this?"
The Quantum Source doesn't answer in words. Instead, it sends a surge of energy through Eddie, filling him with a sudden, vivid vision.
He sees a world engulfed in darkness, the sky swirling with chaotic energy. At its center stands Ankin—no, Dark Matteris—his form a twisted amalgamation of shadow and void. Around him, the universe itself is unraveling, collapsing into chaos as Dark Matteris spreads his influence.
Eddie gasps as the vision releases him, leaving him trembling and drenched in cold sweat. "No... no, this can't be the future. I won't let it be the future."
But deep down, he knows that it's a warning—a glimpse of what's to come if he fails. He can't let it happen. He won't let it happen.
Eddie rises to his feet, determination hardening in his chest. "I have to find allies. I can't do this alone."
Leaving the ruins of the temple behind is the hardest thing Eddie has ever done. It feels like he's abandoning everything he's ever known, everything he ever believed in. But he knows that staying there, surrounded by the memories of what he's lost, won't bring the Order back. The universe needs him, and he can't turn his back on that.